This time of year, talk of four-time state champions usually revolves around the Pepsi Center and the state wrestling tournament.
Grappling chat can wait for another week. This week, the focus is on the girls state swimming and diving championships at Edora Pool and Ice Center in Fort Collins.
In Class 4A, Rock Canyon junior Kirsten Milberg is already halfway to four 100-yard backstroke titles and is favored to nab No. 3 on Saturday.
The festivities get underway Friday, with the preliminaries starting at 9 a.m. and concluding with the finals Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Milberg’s championship swim her freshman year was a thing of beauty, as she powered home the last 25 yards to outlast Thompson Valley’s Castina Wabeke in an All-America time of 57.57 seconds.
Last year wasn’t so simple. After qualifying third, Milberg, who earlier won the 200 freestyle, fought off brave challenges from Mountain View’s Brandie Kavalec and Moffat County’s Kelci Conci to earn No. 2.
Milberg and her Rock Canyon teammates, who finished second last week in the Continental League meet, will be chasing the Ralston Valley machine.
Coach Joani Glidewell- Anderson’s Mustangs are the clear favorites to earn their second consecutive team title with help from Katie Johnson and Arianne Lujan, who will square off for the 200 individual medley title.
Glidewell-Anderson, a chemistry teacher by trade, said this month: “Lineups — who I’m going to put in what relay. Every meet and every week, it’s a puzzle, and I just love doing it.”
When the points become crucial this weekend (double in the three relay races), the coach will have to hypothesize correctly. The Mustangs come into each relay with the second fastest time behind Rock Canyon.
Other defending state champions include Rock Canyon’s Taylor Curado in the 100 butterfly, Mullen’s Caroline Shea in the 100 freestyle and Fossil Ridge’s Shannon Garlie in the 500 free.
Moffat County’s Conci has the fastest 50 free time of the season and could become the Craig-based school’s first state swimming champion.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
STATE SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Note: Top eight times in each event heading to this weekend’s state tournament in Fort Collins.
CLASS 5A
200-yard medley relay
Cherry Creek1:50.91
Fairview1:50.98
Boulder1:51.18
Monarch1:51.81
Mountain Vista1:52.04
Fort Collins1:52.04
Regis1:53.40
Grandview1:53.78
200 free
Cromer, Lewis-Palmer1:53.90
Mattern, Cherry Creek1:56.16
Cox, Dakota Ridge1:57.35
Glassner, Chatfield1:58.12
Swanson, Regis1:58.54
Zgliczynska, Fairview1:58.58
Barry, Palmer1:58.96
Best, Boulder1:59.25
200 IM
Naze, Cherry Creek2:10.47
Dougherty, Monarch2:11.22
Newell, Arapahoe2:12.25
Piehl, Smoky Hill2:12.27
Kimminau, Cherry Creek2:13.61
Morris, Eaglecrest2:13.61
Clarke, Rampart2:13.73
Williams, Grandview2:13.79
50 free
Gregoire, Rampart24.39
Perkins, Chatfield24.61
Schmid, Regis24.62
Nelson, Fort Collins24.70
Lucas, Fairview24.82
Dahlquist, Mountain Vista24.86
Slouka, Heritage25.00
Labozan, Monarch25.00
100 butterfly
Lucas, Fairview58.58
Martens, Grandview59.12
Rigg, Fairview59.17
Oster, Cherry Creek59.26
Mathias, Ponderosa59.60
Todd, Regis1:00.10
Zeberlein, Mountain Vista1:00.52
Stone, Wheat Ridge1:00.70
100 free
Allen, Boulder52.92
Gregoire, Rampart53.20
Perkins, Chatfield53.25
Dahlquist, Mountain Vista53.39
Cromer, Lewis-Palmer43.48
Piehl, Smoky Hill54.03
Nelson, Fort Collins54.04
Mattern, Cherry Creek54.17
500 free
Best, Boulder5:10.98
Martens, Grandview5:12.27
Brandon, Cherry Creek5:12.42
Swanson, Regis5:14.16
Zgliczynska, Fairview5:14.20
Culver, Green Mountain5:15.24
Glassner, Chatfield5:15.49
Anderson, Fairview5:17.28
200 free relay
Boulder1:39.04
Cherry Creek1:39.71
Fairview1:41.08
Fort Collins1:41.40
Grandview1:41.54
Arapahoe1:41.56
Chatfield1:41.58
Rampart1:42.22
100 backstroke
Allen, Boulder57.65
Fuller, Brighton57.85
Garvey, ThunderRidge58.73
Zeberlein, Mountain Vista58.95
Tyler, Fort Collins59.64
Stone, Wheat Ridge1:00.28
Oster, Cherry Creek1:00.44
Kimminau, Cherry Creek1:00.44
100 breaststroke
Kuhr, Dakota Ridge1:06.30
Dougherty, Monarch1:06.95
Wixted, Cherry Creek1:08.03
Naze, Cherry Creek1:08.14
Mathews, East1:08.23
Clarke, Rampart1:08.33
Rathbone, Lakewood1:08.49
Fletcher, Monarch1:08.96
400 free relay
Boulder3:37.45
Fairview3:38.17
Cherry Creek3:38.74
Regis3:40.27
Chatfield3:40.35
Rampart3:40.94
Grandview3:42.41
Mountain Vista3:42.49
CLASS 4A
200 medley relay
Rock Canyon1:50.12
Ralston Valley1:51.43
Estes Park1:52.05
Niwot1:52.81
La Junta1:54.70
Windsor1:54.70
Thompson Valley1:55.89
Greeley Central1:57.06
200 free
Holley, Rock Canyon1:55.62
Shea, Mullen1:55.68
Garlie, Fossil Ridge1:56.42
Milberg, Rock Canyon1:56.90
Fischer, Ralston Valley1:57.95
Cook, Mountain Range1:58.78
Queen, Windsor1:59.10
Smith, D’Evelyn1:59.99
200 IM
Johnson, Ralston Valley2:07.50
Lujan, Ralston Valley2:08.78
Dobie, Broomfield2:11.23
Bergquist, Thompson Valley2:12.78
Badaracco, Platte Canyon2:13.72
Wolfrum, Skyline2:14.56
Craig, South2:15.38
Willoughby, Ftn.-Ft. Carson2:15.59
50 free
Conci, Moffat County24.34
Hewson, Estes Park24.96
Schemahorn, La Junta25.03
Grove, Glenwood Springs25.07
Riggle, Eaton25.09
Almond, Estes Park25.22
Maciejko, Gunnison25.22
Banning, Silver Creek25.30
100 butterfly
Curado, Rock Canyon57.70
Lujan, Ralston Valley58.42
Snyder, Ralston Valley59.21
Badaracco, Platte Canyon59.61
Valdez, Greeley Central59.92
Dobie, Broomfield59.94
Krall, Pueblo Centennial1:00.05
Stucky, Montrose1:00.07
100 freestyle
Hewson, Estes Park53.68
Shea, Mullen53.85
Holley, Rock Canyon54.11
Atoe, Rock Canyon54.60
Grove, Glenwood Springs54.66
Maciejko, Gunnison54.75
Quick, Ralston Valley54.76
Schemahorn, La Junta54.95
500 free
Johnson, Ralston Valley5:06.94
Cook, Mountain Range5:08.66
Garlie, Fossil Ridge5:09.95
Fischer, Ralston Valley5:16.76
Krall, Pueblo Centennial5:17.97
Pappas, Ralston Valley5:19.09
Queen, Windsor5:21.21
Moss, Thompson Valley5:24.22
200 free relay
Rock Canyon1:41.18
Ralston Valley1:42.69
La Junta1:43.59
Niwot1:43.77
Mullen1:43.85
Estes Park1:44.31
Thompson Valley1:44.71
D’Evelyn1:45.04
100 backstroke
Milberg, Rock Canyon58.70
Atoe, Rock Canyon59.64
Conci, Moffat County59.70
Quick, Ralston Valley1:00.18
Norlin, Windsor1:01.30
Bergquist, Thompson Valley1:01.35
Valdez, Greeley Central1:01.36
Rhue, Cheyenne Mountain1:01.75
100 breaststroke
Hewson, Estes Park1:05.61
Clawson, Rock Canyon1:07.95
Gleason, La Junta1:08.31
Scott, Windsor1:08.62
Dobie, Broomfield1:09.01
Wedel, Pueblo South1:09.13
Riggle, Eaton1:09.22
Phelps, Cherokee Trail1:09.30
400 free relay
Rock Canyon3:37.90
Ralston Valley3:38.80
La Junta3:44.31
Estes Park3:45.40
Thompson Valley3:45.40
Montrose3:49.64
Cheyenne Mountain3:50.22
Fossil Ridge3:50.24
